Why You CAN Believe the Evidence for the Resurrection

There is no doubt that the resurrection of Jesus is the BIGGEST event of human history; it is the epitome of the Christian faith- the MEANING of our very own faith. However, it is also the most controversial happenstance in the history of mankind. It was as polemical in 33 AD as it is now.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through a link we’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you but will help this blog to keep on running.

When Jesus claimed that he would resurrect 3 days after His death, word spread and came to the ears of the Pharisees. Because skeptics didn’t buy into this claim, they ordered a number of things to be set in place so the Apostles wouldn’t steal the body of Jesus and then promulgate the “resurrection lie.” But when all this failed (because Jesus DID resurrect 3 days later) skeptics went on with their lies by claiming the Apostles had stolen the body. This probably brought peace of mind to the skeptics and it would have worked had there been no proof against it. The good news is that WE DO HAVE EVIDENCE about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[bctt tweet=”Why You CAN Believe the Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. ” username=”TheScribe_Blog”]

In this post, I will discuss 7 proofs for the resurrection of Jesus. Read ahead to find out the good news!

1. The Broken Seal

The stone covering the tomb of Jesus was sealed to prevent the body from being stolen. Seals were usually made from a soft, malleable material, such as clay. The seal more than likely had an imprint of the Roman Empire insignia. Because the Roman seal upon a tomb was a sign of powerful authority, it incurred fear amongst the population and discouraged tomb robbers. Breaking the seal often meant death. A seal was placed on Jesus’ tomb because the high priests worried that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus and proclaim His resurrection.

“On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.” (Matthew 27:62-66, ESV)

No smart person would risk his life by breaking the seal in order to move the stone (which was an impossible solo feat) and steal Jesus’ body (if they could even get past the guards). Not to mention that the sentries would guard that tomb as if their very own lives depended upon it (because it did). So no human with a brain would have dared to break the seal. But the broken seal three days after Jesus’ death, is just one proof of the resurrection.

2. The Stone Was Moved

If the seal was broken then that means that the stone was moved out of place. And that is exactly how the women found the tomb on the third day.

And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. (Mark 16:3-4)

And the stone was LARGE. Weighing a couple tons, the circular stone was placed at the entrance of the grave. The grave was situated downhill so that it would be easier to roll the stone down the slope. It would typically take the strength of several men to roll the stone down and much more strength to roll it back up the hill in order to open the grave. The odds were highly against anyone wanting to steal the body of Jesus. First, they would need to fight off the guards, next, they would have to break the seal, and finally move the giant stone weighing tons up a hill. And according to scripture, the disciples were very scared with the whole ordeal (they fled the garden when Jesus was arrested and Peter denied him 3 times) it doesn’t seem likely that they had the courage to steal the body.

3. The Empty Tomb

We know that the tomb was empty on the morning of the third day because the sentries themselves witnessed the miracle of the resurrection. They fled to the high priests who paid them to lie.

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” (Luke 24:1-3)

“ Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.”So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Matthew 28:11-15)

The disciples were clueless about the prophecy of the resurrection.

Jesus had hinted about His resurrection but the disciples had not understood the meaning fully until they were face to face with the empty tomb.

“For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.”(John 20:9)

Jewish tradition had it that anyone rising from the dead unto glory would only occur at the resurrection of the end time. So the disciples, besides not understanding the prophecy, had no motive to steal the body.

A very significant point that needs to be addressed is the fact that all four Gospels mention women as the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus appeared to women first before He showed Himself to men.

Why is this significant?

Well, you see, in 1st century Jewish and Roman cultures, the witness testimonies of women were held in low regard. Men’s testimonies were more valid than women’s. So someone wanting to fabricate a lie about the resurrection of Jesus would not have made women as his first witnesses, if at all. It would have been more logical for a lie to be embellished with believable accounts-in this case, men as first witnesses. If the person spreading a false account had wanted people to readily believe it he would have made it more logically believable but since it’s neither logical nor a lie, it had to be true. They say that fact is stranger than fiction. Facts happen as they will happen whether they’re hard to believe or not. Lies tend to be believable and predictable. Truth does not try to convince anyone, the truth is simply the truth.

4. Jesus’ Grave Clothes

According to Scripture, Jesus was buried in the Jewish custom of the day (John 19:40). The Jewish burial custom was to wrap the body by twisting a wide cloth around it from the feet up to the neck. The face was covered by tying a square napkin-like cloth around the head (John 11:44).

According to John 19:39-40, Nicodemus bought 100 pounds of spices including myrrh and aloes. These were poured out on the body of Jesus after being wrapped tightly, which would harden when dry to create a cocoon-like structure around the body. In order to get a body out of the harden linen, the cloth needed to be cut all through the middle from end to end, but this is not how Jesus’ linens were found. According to Scripture, the linens were found intact, undisturbed, uncut, and in the same shape as when Jesus was wrapped inside them.

“Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.” (John 20:6-7)

5. The Soldiers Fled

The punishment for leaving their post was severe if not death. So the soldiers took their job very seriously since the punishment was serious.They definitely wouldn’t have abandoned their post if a couple of disciples had confronted them. So the sentries would not have fled their post if it had not been for a good reason. Scripture tells us they fled because they were afraid when they saw the angels of the LORD.

“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.” (Matthew 28:2-4)

6. The 500 Witnesses

If there were 500 first-hand witnesses in a crime, I highly doubt the investigators would brush it off or say that they were all hallucinating. It’s easy to believe that one person hallucinated but 500?! It’s not even possible. The Luke 24:36-49 account states that Jesus not only appeared to 500 different persons over a 40 day period before His ascension, but He also ate with His disciples, to prove that He was very much alive.

“After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 5:6)

7. Illogical Lying

It would have not only been illogical but very foolish for the disciples to lie about the resurrection of Jesus. They were persecuted, tortured, and killed for the sake of Jesus- it would have been illogical to die for something they knew wasn’t true. Stealing the body of Jesus and then lying about it wouldn’t have gained them anything. The disciples and all the early Christians did not earn wealth or status by believing in Jesus, so carrying out a lie that caused these many repercussions is highly unlikely.

So even believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is common sense.

Enjoyed this post? Share it on Pinterest!